Councilors' name omissions on citations called oversight

By Lyle Moran, lmoran@lowellsun.com

Updated:
12/08/2012 07:11:07 AM EST

LOWELL -- When City Councilor Rita Mercier gave out a citation several weeks ago, she says she figured it was a fluke that the recipient asked her to sign it because only Mayor Patrick Murphy's name was on the citation, not the names of the other eight councilors.

But late last month when Mercier was provided with a citation to hand out to a retiring building official and one to give a lifelong Lowellian celebrating his 70th birthday, she noticed once again that only Murphy's name was on the official documents.

Mercier raised her concern at Tuesday night's council meeting during discussion of her motion calling for the names of all councilors to be restored to all citations and other papers issued by the Mayor's Office besides proclamations.

In preparation for Tuesday's meeting, Mercier had included in the council meeting packet given out to the council and the public copies of citations given out by previous mayors that had the names of all councilors on them. She also included the recent citations with just Murphy's name at the bottom.

Mercier said Tuesday that the mayor, who is appointed by his fellow councilors, represents the council as a whole, so official citations honoring residents and others should reflect that.

"This council, we are a team and there is no 'I' in team," Mercier said. "I respect this body too much for any of them to be slighted."

The council approved Mercier's motion.

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Murphy, who became mayor in January, did not dispute Mercier's contention that the councilors' names were no longer on the citations and said the issue would be rectified.

"It was not intended to be a slight, but I won't respond to what I believe was," Murphy said in response to Mercier.

Asked Thursday to respond in more detail to Mercier's comments, Murphy said, "I don't see this as the most pressing issue facing the city. It was an honest mistake that was immediately taken care of."

Murphy's aide, Jennifer Myers, in comments posted on a local blog, took the blame for citations being issued with only Murphy's name on them.

She says that since joining the Mayor's Office four months ago, she had used white paper with the city seal that is unlike the official letterhead that includes the names of all councilors.

"It was a mistake made due to my lack of experience and in fact I do not believe I had ever seen a citation up close prior to taking the job, so I was unaware they were supposed to be printed on letterhead," Myers wrote.

Myers said she was never notified that she was doing anything incorrectly until she saw Mercier's motion listed on the agenda.

She told The Sun the mayor was correct in his comments Tuesday that no slight was intended towards the other councilors.

Mercier, apprised of Myers' comments on the blog, said during Tuesday's meeting she still lays the blame for the citations snafu on the mayor.

"The oversight rests with the department head and that it is you, Mr. Mayor," said Mercier, who also chided the mayor for sometimes forgetting to introduce councilors in attendance at public events.

As for Mercier, she acknowledged that sometimes she gives out congratulations letters to constituents, such as Eagle Scouts, with her own letterhead that does not include other councilors' names.

But Mercier said those letters are personal, and if any one ever asks her for an official city citation, she directs them to the Mayor's Office so they can receive proper recognition.

"When an official citation is given out, every councilor's name should be on it," she said. "It's about respect. Years from now, people want to see the names of every councilor on their city citations."

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